up, and the evening, after it had gone, there was always a shiny drop
hanging from the tip of his nose. And then his nails! And as for his ears,
they were simply deformed.

Alas! I was an upstart creature, that had learned fine manners in the
cafes in town. And since I could not keep myself from telling my companion
now and then what I thought of his uncleanly ways, there grew up a certain
ill-feeling between us, and I feared we should have to separate before
long. As it was, we hardly spoke now beyond what was needed.

And there was the well, as undug as ever. Sunday came, and Grindhusen had
gone home.

I had got my apparatus finished now, and in the afternoon I climbed up to
the roof of the main building and set it up there. I saw at once that the
sight cut the hillside several metres below the top. Good. Even reckoning
a whole metre down to the water-level, there would still be pressure
enough and to spare.

While I was busy up there the priest's son caught sight of me. Harald
Meltzer was his name. And what was I doing up there? Measuring the hill;
what for? What did I want to know the height for? Would I let him try?

Later on I got hold of a line ten metres long, and measured the hill from
foot to summit, with Harald to help. When we came down to the house, I
asked to see the priest himself, and told him of my plan.